The Angel Clad in White
by frankiewode
Summary: When a girl suddenly wakes up strapped to a boat in the middle of the ocean with no memory of who she is, she resolves to find out her identity and what happened to her... and she knows the angel clad in white is hiding something from her... but what?
1. Dead End Down Memory Lane

The Angel Clad in White

**A/N: **Okay this is my first Ouran fanfic attempt so I hope it will suffice. ^^ I am pretty new to the anime/manga but from the first 5 minutes totally fell in love with it, so I just had to write a story about it.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. It belongs to Bisco Hatori._

_---_

Chapter 1: Dead End Down Memory Lane

The last thing she could remember was slowly falling asleep against the soft grains of sand; the gentle breeze rippling her hair. The air was so tranquil she couldn't help but drift off into a slumber. Everything around her started to merge together and her vision turned to black...

The same breeze flowing through her hair awoke her. She opened her eyes expecting to see a peaceful sky but instead the heavens were filled with a startling thunder. Raindrops reflected off the water and settled into the translucent depths. Her hair was plastered to her forehead and her clothing clung tightly to her figure. Forcing her eyes shut she desperately tried to will herself out of the nightmare. It did no good.

Groaning she tried to sit up, but she was suddenly pulled back to the hard surface. There was a thick rope fastened around her stomach, preventing her from any significant movements. "What the-?" A roar shook from the sky and she screamed out, trying shield herself. Each time the electric blasts rocked her she cried aloud and shrunk into herself, her knuckles white as they clasped the bone of her knees. It was so close to her this time...

The fiery bolts struck the increasingly ravaging waves with precision and force and the shivering hidden girl felt helpless. She was scared of thunder. "How could I not have known that?" She whispered as a single tear slid down her face.

The noise gradually subsided and she carefully uncurled herself still breathing heavily and grasped at the knot trying to undo it. She pulled at the rope, sometimes feeling it gently loosen within her fingers, but every time she made any progress it seemed to re-tighten. Her patience and determination was lost after several futile attempts and she sank back into a comfortable position. She lifted her arms and rested them against her forehead. "What the hell is going on?"

It had to be a nightmare, it just had to be. That was the only explanation that made any sense. She closed her eyes once again and just listened; listened for a sign that she did not belong there. But none came. Whistling in her ear was just the empty slap of the sleep-inducing waves; the storm appeared to have completely stopped. 'Wait a second' Her eyes flew open. "Waves?" She had been completely oblivious before and she noticed now for the first time that she was in a wooden boat. Twisting her head she tried to survey her surroundings. Water... only the sea for miles around.

"I-I'm tied to a boat in the middle of the sea...?" No matter how many times she repeated it, it still held no notion. She supposed the continuous drone of her voice just helped to calm her nerves. But in reality... she _was_ tied to a boat in the middle of the sea, and she was freaking out of her mind; but she coped with it the only way she knew how... silently. She wanted to deny the feeling of dread but as her precarious situation dawned on her, questions arose: How did she get like this? Would help come, and if so who would save her? She felt fear stab at her heart as she realised that she could not answer them... She really had to think; how could this have happened?

"..." Like a ton of bricks it hit her and she tried to form a word, any word, to make the situation seem less heinous. But she couldn't summon the speech. Her body felt unexpectedly heavy and she gripped her bindings with all the strength she could muster. Finally the numbness was over; she was able to force a single word through her hoarse throat. "No..."

She had no idea who she was. No memories of her past...

The thought gave her a head rush. She felt a desire to hold onto something to steady herself and though she was not falling she felt dizzy. She had no name, no past and no current solution to this unfortunate incident. She just wanted nothing more than to just vanish; to deny it. She couldn't face the truth just yet; there just were not enough positive aspects to it. She would wait out here, in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, and wait for someone to rescue, no, to _stumble_ upon her. As much as the situation called for it, she was not going to be recognised as the damsel in distress.

"So now all I've got to do is wait?" She questioned no one in particular, maybe herself, but she didn't get an answer. Sighing she lowered her head and tried to get as comfortable as possible in her restraints. She fixed her gaze upwards and spoke to the midnight sky. "Mom, I hope you're doing ok in heaven. Things aren't going so well down here; I'm not sure if I'll get through this... M-maybe I'll see you again soon" She released a weak laugh though the joke wasn't funny. "But I miss you Mom, keep me company tonight." She closed her eyes and entered her dreams. She had no nightmares. Not that night.

---

A vision in white approached her as she awakened and at first, with the dripping golden locks of hair, white billowing shirt and with her seemingly impossible salvation, he reminded her very much of an angel. Her head was throbbing intensely as she stared at the image of perfection striding ever closer. The brightness began to sting at her eyes and she found herself wearily closing them, forcing out all sunlight. She felt his movements as the waves he pushed forward licked the side of the boat. Dizziness enveloped her and she began to drown in the blackness. She heard the angel call out, "Haruhi!" a name perhaps? Her name?

All sound started to fade and she thought that perhaps that it was only a dream. But then a strong hand cupped her face and with a quick slash her limp body was released and taken into his embrace. "I found you." Pain suddenly seized her and as she screamed out she lost consciousness, falling against the angels broad shoulders. Was this really the end? She knew nothing after that.

He stared down at her weak form and buried his head into her salty hair, breathing in the scent. Her clothes were soaked and her hair, usually silky, was matted. She had screamed and seemed to have passed out again; so he had searched for the cause of this outburst and had discovered a reddening sprain on her ankle. There was no conceivable reason to ever leave her like this. He gathered her up in his arms and began to wade towards the shore, keeping his line of vision on the golden grains of sand ahead. She weighed almost nothing and he barely felt her presence as a burden. She fit perfectly, her head nestled in the crook of his arm, just like she belonged.

As he lowered her down onto the ground sand became embedded within her hair and just added to the tangled mess. It clung to her and gently exfoliated her softened skin. The angel collapsed beside her, finally relenting under the exhaustion and crawled up to meet her face. He lifted a hand and traced her jaw line with his thumb, repeating the action several times and she in return murmured in her sleep and unconsciously raised a hand to brush against his chest. He became rigid at her touch and raised his body to stand. He felt a spray of sand upon his legs and looked up to see someone run up beside him to halt and stare, unsettled by the girls shaken state. "Is she...?"  
"She's alive."

The boy with sandy hair stood in silence and his shoulders seemed to slump. "So, she's just asleep?" He began rubbing his hands together, relieving his anxiety. "That's good..." As the angel leant down to inspect the quiescent girl the sound of crunching underfoot reached his ears and he turned to see the sandy haired boy running away towards the whitewashed buildings. He did not follow, as he said only to himself, "he'll get over it." With that he whipped out his mobile phone, shook the water out and efficiently dialled the numbers. It picked up after only one tone. "Kyoya, I need a favour."

---

The heat against her forehead intensified and she groggily moaned batting her hands around in front of her as if that would banish the morning brightness. Opening her eyes against the fray of the luminous outdoors she noticed that she seemed to be in a large room. The sunlight entered through the immense windows, from which she suspected the entire beach was visible, and was then framed by beautiful baroque pillars. She could see the elaborate furnishings adorned throughout the chamber and had to wonder, what place was this? It all seemed very superfluous to her. Each item that resided here was significantly detailed way beyond its need and even the curtains, which could have been light and airy, were heavy, dragging on the floor and were held back from the windows by hooks made of gold. She had no doubt that if the curtains would be allowed to fall they would drench the room in darkness even on the brightest day.

The bed she currently rested in was a white wood stunningly carved on the headboard and on the legs leaving almost no space for constructional practicality. The pillows were satin and there were a great many of them in assortments of different colours and sizes. Some were outlined with tiny jewels; others were attached with tassels, heavy with thick luxurious thread. The quilt itself under which she was positioned was simple in comparison, garnished with no jewels or beads but instead a simple design was printed onto the airy fabric. It was not stuffed with feathers, as the pillows but was in fact just a thin blanket.

Due to the faded colour and creases she could tell it had been much-loved and used within its life-time but it didn't belong in the eloquent room; of that she was certain and she could almost feel an air of hostility radiating from the other items in the room. Although the design of the furniture was simply beautiful it seemed cold somehow and she suddenly felt that along with the blanket, she didn't belong. She sighed, running her eyes down the blanket trying to figure out why she was here in this room. But as she neared the edge of the bed her gaze stumbled across a strong hand, smoothing the pleats in the quilt that her movements had created.

He was blonde, she noticed, and his hair a far cry from the usual radiance was tangled together in a pleated mess. Though it still shined it looked as if he hadn't taken the time to care for it in days. He had an angular jaw and a slim nose and his eyes, usually hidden by his lustrous mop of hair, were slim and contained all emotions his face could not express. Sometimes he looked as if he struggled between three or four different emotions at once. But now these violet orbs were turned towards her and staring into them she suddenly recognised him as the angel who had freed her the day before. If it had not all been a dream...

She took the few moments while he stared at her worriedly to study what he was wearing. It was casual to say the least but still held airs of elegance and she somehow knew it had not come cheaply. He wore loose jeans stonewashed a deep blue and the same white shirt he had donned the day before except this time he had on a red shirt underneath. The top gathered slightly as he extended an arm to brush her hair from her eyes. "Don't worry, we are safe now." Was he talking about yesterday...? Seeing her dazed expression the angel perched upon the bed smiled reassuringly.  
"Are you feeling alright?" He asked.

She leant forward, balancing her arms upon her knees and ignored his question. "I'm sorry, but where exactly am I?"

His startled expression worried her for a second but he soon laughed it off. "You mean to say you do not remember this place?" He smiled again.

His optimism confused her. She had no idea of who the person was before her but he seemed to know her quite well. She wondered if he had any idea of what had happened to her. "I've been here before?"

"Why yes many times, you do not own a passport remember!" Then she pondered why whether or not she owned a passport had anything to do with the situation. Hugging her knees tighter and keeping silent, she stared down at the sheets. She had no idea what to say in response to such a statement but she briefly thought whether or not to enlighten the young man a little.

"Aww!"She was suddenly enveloped into a deep hug. "You look so cute when you're confused!" She was practically suffocating, pressed against the warm body as the white shirt wrapped around her. Groaning she decided to let him wallow for a while.

Eventually he released her and registered her extremely annoyed expression. "Haruhi...?"

Her head suddenly snapped round to face his. "Is that my name?"

"W-what?"

"Is it? I heard you call that before."

His sweat-dropped and he found himself just staring into her eyes incapable of speech.

"Is that my name?" She asked again unnerving him slightly. She stared him down, noting his expression did not contain any of the vivaciousness it had before.

"Wh-what are you saying?"

She drew in breath. He had wallowed enough and the present was as good a time as any to admit to the angel and to herself the truth of what she feared. She shrugged as nonchalantly as ever and said "I guess I'm saying I have amnesia. At least I think I do."

The words grated against his skull. It couldn't be true... He blinked. Then he blinked again. And then he exploded. "YOU HAVE AMNESIA!!! HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM ABOUT THIS?" He waved his arms about in an exuberant mass of tears. "HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? DID THAT BASTARD KNOW ABOUT THIS?" She leant down in the bed watching his display with partial interest. 'What bastard...?' She thought.

Suddenly he froze, pausing his antics and turned gradually with robotic movements to face her, tears still streaming silently down his face. He didn't understand at all. How could she seem so unfazed by this? The girl before him had amnesia and she was just sitting there on the bed while he cried enough for them both. What the hell was wrong with her? How did he get stuck with such an indifferent heroine? Then, shaking his head he abandoned all previous thoughts and began to question her. "What's the last thing you can remember?" He chose his words carefully. "What do you currently know about your life, do you remember m-" He shook his head again, evidently calmer than before. "Do you remember what happened before the moment you awoke in this room?"

"Hmm..." She raised a finger to her lips and adopted a concentrated expression. "I- I remember being on a boat, I was tied to it. Then I saw... an angel?" She waved the idea away and laughed. "No that's ridiculous, that can't be true, right?"She tilted her head and smiled.

She dismissed the slight blush on his cheeks as he extended himself up to his full height and brushed his hair back from his face. He stared at a distant poignant memory, smiling into the distance and began his animated speech. "You poor child, you have been through so much just in these past few days, to think of losing one's memory, oh it is completely unimaginable, and the thought of what might have happened if I had not been there to rescue your tortured soul! It bears no meaning! Yes I was the angel clad in white you so clearly admire. I was the sunshine when your sky was filled with thunder!" He pumped his fist up in the air with enthusiasm, "Don't you worry my dear! Daddy will protect you!"

He kept the stance for a few minutes, looking quite the protagonist he thought himself to be, while she still sat on the bed, fuming. "YOU ARE NOT MY DAD SO QUIT IT ALREADY!" she growled downsizing him. He toppled to the floor dramatically and the tears started. "Oh how could you say that to someone who cares for you so dearly! Have I not brought up the way a loving father should? I protected you with my life!" He brought his knees up and clasped his arms around them proceeding to sulk, muttering: "I see you require lessons in etiquette young lady... That is not the proper way to address a savoir like _moi_!" A dark aura surrounded him and she sighed, wondering how she could have thought that a _baka_ like this was in any form an angel.

"How would you know I am not your father anyway, did you not say you have no memories pre-dating yesterday? I adore and protect you like any father would!" He swung around to grasp her wrists and bring his face level with hers. "Are you saying... are you saying that while you have forgotten everything else, you... you remember me? He was giggling like a small child and 'happy' tears were streaming down his face. "You remember me!"  
"NO!" With the palm of her hands she pushed his face away in aggravation. "No, I do not remember you, and I'm not stupid! You're obviously around my age so how the hell could you be my father!" She found it hard not to slap his annoyingly handsome face. "What a moron!"

His arms were still outstretched from where they had previously cupped her face, which in return was still hot from the memory. Watching his devastated expression she thought that perhaps she had been a little harsh. "Did we know each-other well before...?" She touched his hand gently and it shot from underneath hers to rub the back of his neck, and he seemed to quickly make a decision before again turning to her and laughing nervously.  
"No, not at all I'm afraid." He paced the room, turned and repeated the pattern. "When I saw you for the first time yesterday, oh it was as if an angel had appeared-" She flinched, blushing at his word describing her. "-before me, and I thanked the heavens for I am now blessed with your company my darling." He sat down on the bed again leaned forward and chastely placed a finger upon her lips. His compulsive tendency to show-off aggravated her but had also inadvertently caused her chest to tighten. But for now she ignored the feeling.  
"Don't try and confuse me!" she yelled, slapping his hand away. "Do you know me or not?" She gazed at him, tawny eyes questioning him and with a sigh he relented and bowed his head.

"No." It was an unusually short sentence for the guy standing before her. Though she had only known him for a couple of hours, as far as she knew, he had already expressed his most annoying habits to her. He seemed so easy to comprehend, the sort of person who wore his emotions on his sleeve. She used to think she was perceptive; but as he spoke this single word she realised there was a lot more to the angel than what he wore on his sleeve. He was hiding something from her... Of that she was certain.

"No?"

"We don't know each-other."

"But... my name... How did you know...?"

He clasped his hand to his head, closed his eyes and twirled round on his heel, not wanting to meet her gaze. It was a while before he spoke and for a minute she heard a small sniffling sound... perhaps... emitting from his corner. "In honest truth..." he said "When I saw you that day in the water you reminded me of a girl I once knew." He had turned back to face her now and she could see that the skin surrounding his eyes was red and sore as if he had rubbed it with sandpaper. "Haruhi is in fact not your real name. I was just at the time, shocked..." and then he added in a whisper "you look so much like her..."

Again she saw another side to this strange eccentric person. Underneath the idiotic mannerisms he was really just a simple guy with a tragedy in his past. And to deal with it, he laughed he joked, he was overprotective... And now she realised that when he had saved her, taken her into his arms and looked deeply into her eyes he was thinking about...her. She was just a replacement for this girl he had somehow lost, by whatever means. She assumed that when he had talked about the passport and how happy he was when he thought she had remembered him, he was talking to this other girl. She felt almost betrayed, that just because she had lost her own past she had to be a replacement for someone else. No. But why did that name seem so familiar?

"So what do I call you then?" She asked. 'He must have a name' she thought, she couldn't keep referring to him as 'angel' it just didn't seem to fit anymore.

He was suddenly snapped out of the trance he had been staring into for the last few minutes and babbled out an answer. "Oh, y-you want my name?" She didn't want to know what he had been thinking about.

"Yes, that would be helpful."

He stared at her for a moment, as if he was unsure whether to comply. "It's uh, Tamaki. But you can call me your senpai" His hand had returned to rub the back of his neck nervously as if he needed approval.

She repeated the name, letting each syllable roll off her tongue with precision. "Ta-ma-ki..." She recognised it, of that she was sure. But was it just a common name? She lifted her gaze to quickly analyse it before bringing her face back to level with his. She smiled and tilted her head to the side. "That's a nice name!"

He immediately flushed crimson and within a second had leapt forward to devour her in a huge hug. "That was soooo cute! I'm lucky to have such an amazing daughter!" She rolled her eyes and sighed. He had started with the whole ridiculous father-daughter thing again. But... A thought suddenly struck her and she looked up into his wailing face. ...Daughter...? Could it be something had happened to this girl he had loved so much; something bad. He had spoken of how they looked alike and also of protection. Could it possibly be that as he had been unable to protect this girl and as they looked alike, didn't want to risk the same happening again? Was this the reason for his over-protective nature? As she saw all this in his mask of tears she admired him slightly and decided that she would let him protect her, just for a little while.

"Tamaki?"

"Mmmm?" The hug had formed into a tight embrace and he stood with his head nestled into the crook of her neck and his long arms crookedly wrapped around her petite frame.

"You can call me that if you want, Haruhi I mean. I feel familiarity with it, if it's ok with you, it can be my temporary name."

"..."

He suddenly zipped back to the corner of the room, pulling half of the bed covers with him, exposing her. She barely got time to register his expression before she noticed a new breeze of fresh air whip around her legs she felt extremely uncomfortable. A huge blush spread across her cheek as she realised that underneath the covers she donned a white nightdress adorned with girly frills; and as Tamaki, the _baka,_ saw her picking at the lace he flushed a deep red. Having gotten over his temporary depression rather quickly he held his hands out in front of him and waved them in a defensive manner. "I-I uh... you were all wet and you could have caught hypothermia! I s-swear I kept my eyes closed the entire time!" The waving increased and he started to whine uncontrollably. "I was doing it to protect you!"

She took one look and rolled her eyes. "You are one kind of pervert senpai." Once again he retreated to his corner of woe in a huddled mess. She wondered how someone could go through this many mood swings in little over 5 minutes. She threw off the covers and swung her legs over the side of bed with her hands outstretched in order to touch his shoulder. "Look senpai I'm sorry- ARGH!" She fell to the floor cradling her leg in agonising pain. A hot searing pain flooded through her left ankle which felt numb to the touch. Tamaki was now towering over her, a look of horror evident on his face. "Oh I am sorry, it seems I forgot to mention it before..." His voice trailed off and he leant down to gently scoop her up, careful not to bash her leg. She struggled and twisted in his arms, all the while trying to examine her apparent injury. He tightened his hold on her, "stop struggling..." She took no notice and continued. "STOP STRUGGLING!" She stopped. She turned to face him and saw that he was eyeing her with a glare. "HARUHI!" He released her onto the bed and she flung the covers back around herself at once. Was he talking to her...? "Just let me explain ok?" She nodded. "When I found you, I discovered your ankle was sprained. The hospital was too far away so I brought you here instead" She wondered why he would go to this trouble for a girl he barely knew. And then she remembered. "A friend of mine is medically experienced so he fixed you up." She noticed that indeed her left ankle was bandaged quite heavily. "You will need to take it easy for the next few weeks, doctor's orders!" He combined the last sentence with a weak laugh, but she knew it was just a cover.

"You called me Haruhi..."

He nodded. "Yes, I believe that's what you asked for." He walked over to the doorframe and placed him arm up against it, caressing the wooden structure. "Princess..." Turning back to look at her he smiled once more, "Get some rest ok?" Then a second later the room was plunged into darkness as he flicked the light switch and walked out.

She turned on her side, cringing slightly at the pain emitting from her ankle, and just listened to his footsteps. They grew quieter but then they stopped and with each lightly treaded step, became louder. She felt the ground almost vibrate beneath her as he stopped once again outside the door. But when they started again the sound was only minimal as it signalled him walking away once again. She felt the distance between them grow wider and sighed. Why did she feel so safe with him...? Why did she recognise his name so easily? She finally fell asleep stretched out across the heavily pillowed bed as the questions filled her mind. Perhaps they would be answered tomorrow.

But whatever happened, Tamaki was still an idiot.

---

**A/N: **I'm not sure if all the chapters will be as long as this but I wanted to just set up a lot of unanswered questions here. Sorry If the characters are a little OC, first story excuse ^^. And if any of you were confused about the fact she remembered her mother, don't worry it will be explained in time. I'd really appreciate some nice reviews. So please R&R it will give me motivation to write the next chapter, where I think I'll be introducing Kyoya. Anyway tell me what you think so far!


	2. A Compromising Position

The Angel Clad in White

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and alerted this story. As to questions on whether the girl is really Haruhi, you'll find out ^^. In this chapter she meets Kyoya and it's... interesting.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. It belongs to Bisco Hatori_

---

Chapter 2: A Compromising Position

"What is this place?" She had been shaken awake an hour before by an over-excited Tamaki, eager to show off his findings stemming from his first independent trip to the 'commoners supermarket' as he called it. He had carried her across the hall into the mocha coloured kitchen and proudly displayed the range of various products to her. Picking up a bag of instant coffee she had surveyed the quaint little room with confusion. The walls were a dark green in colour which went well with the chocolate cupboards and marbled floor beneath them. The fridge had been almost empty the day before consisting of half a litre of milk and surprisingly a notebook with all sorts of equations jotted down. Tamaki however was not so surprised and with a sigh just thrown it from the icy enclosure into the bin. "He's not going to miss just the one." The absence of food had spurred up the idea of a trip to the 'commoners supermarket' and Haruhi, with the excuse of a sprained ankle, had politely declined.

She immediately regretted the decision as he returned with impulse buys such as wasabi, nori, and umeboshi; all completely unrelated and un-combinable. "Tamaki-senpai..." she had sighed, "You could have just bought a couple of Bentō boxes if you were that unsure of what to cook..." He had turned to her with an unwavering smile declaring, "Unsure? Well of course not, why we could have so much fun together experimenting with new unexplored dishes! Oh my dear daughter what wonders shall we uncover!" Really... she'd rather just eat.

And just as he had started arranging the ingredients in a mixture Haruhi was bound to discard and she sat by the table, her leg hanging limp off the stool; she had decided to ask the question. "What is this place?"

"It's my dear best-friend's holiday villa; I'm renting it for the summer, oh even friendship doesn't come between Kyoya and his profits!" he laughed gaily and set the knife down on the marbled surface from which he had previously been dicing the wasabi. Haruhi leant forward to inspect the contents on the chopping board. What kind of breakfast was this going to be? "He's coming round later by the way, to check up on your leg." He nodded towards the injury and concern crossed his features. "Are you in much pain my princess?" He kneeled down to gently lift the leg in question and provocatively traced a finger down the bandages. "Does this cause you pain?" He whispered.

His thoughts were so completely focused on the leg he cradled that he didn't notice the other one swing up and hit him square in the face. As a result he went flying across the room and hit the fridge with full force as Haruhi watched, her fists shaking in anger. "Don't call me princess." The impact was not nearly as bad as it had looked and though the impulsive attack had shocked him her words still drilled through his head.

"No p-princess...?" Recovering gradually he noticed there was something poking into his back. Reaching back to retrieve the nuisance he realised that it was a fridge magnet, or rather a small photograph of the Ootori family on the beach. They all stood stoically and as usual Fuyumi was the only one smiling. He sighed, 'What else?'

Staring down at her battered senpai Haruhi felt slightly guilty for her perturbed attitude and with support from the furniture hobbled across the room to offer a hand to the troubled boy. He had taken it but instead of standing up he slipped and pulled her down on top of him, knocking the 'Ootori family holiday photo' far across the room. He was now backed up against the fridge crushed by her immobile body. Her collarbone had smacked into his chin resulting in a bruise for them both. Their legs were entwined and their faces were inches apart. Haruhi was silent and acutely aware of her chest pressing against his trapped hand Tamaki noticed that her heart rate had slowed. "...Haruhi?" Looking up into her face he saw that her eyes were closed and her mouth was parted just slightly forming an 'o'.

"Are you ok?" Nothing changed. She still lay there, pale-faced and slumped against the fair prince. The skin of his cheek brushed against her lips but he felt no rush of hot air tickle his skin. She wasn't breathing. In an instant he knew that he would have to give her mouth to mouth resuscitation. No. He thought for a while and then romanticized it; the kiss of life. He reddened at the thought but '_now Is no time to be embarrassed'_. He cupped her chin, parting her lips even more and brought her face down to meet his. He closed his eyes. They were just millimetres apart.

Warmth suddenly flooded through her body and she coughed twice to relieve the throbbing pain she had acquired. Opening her eyes she found herself staring directly at Tamaki's almost appalled expression. He was so close to her and it occurred to Haruhi that she must have coughed right in his face. He tried to give her a re-assuring smile but the intention was lost on her as she realised the position she was currently in. "...What did you do?"

"Uhh..." Surprisingly the blonde boy was unable to speak as the injured girl fixed him with a glare, seemingly unaware that she had caused most of the discomfort. He tried to shrink away from her gaze but as she still pinned him to the floor it was deemed an impossible task. "Uhh..."

"W-what exactly were you doing senpai?" She asked recalling how close his face had been.

"Uhh..."

They heard a jingling sound nearby and turned their heads to see the door being unlocked. "What a compromising position." Then they heard a cough and maybe a slight laugh.

"Ahem"

"Kyoya!"

As he saw his friend nonchalantly standing by the open door, Tamaki immediately scrambled out from underneath Haruhi and went to greet the dark-haired Ootori heir. "I didn't know you would visit so early." It was after-all an uncommonly early time for the demon shadow king to be awake. He stood there as unruffled as always and wearing a suit of black. If you didn't catch the slight smirk on his face you would assume every day was a funeral with him.

"Good morning. Do you find the night ok? None of the maids were on staff; I apologise for this inconvenience." They were completely baffled as the man strolled over towards the pair and lifted Haruhi's ankle tenderly. He examined it professionally; testing the joints and smoothing the bandage from where he had disturbed it. "Yes... yes" he muttered to himself as if performing a mental checklist. Regaining his height and turning to the blonde he delivered his observations. "Tamaki you're re-bandaging is atrocious." He gulped and glanced but it was indeed. The thin fabric had slipped down in several places from where it had been tied too loose and several wisps of the material had been tugged free.

Another gulp... "It really is senpai."

The dark-haired young doctor stayed for another hour but with Haruhi incapacitated and Kyoya a 'guest' - of course – Tamaki found himself running around the kitchen cooking, cleaning and brewing coffee. Needless to say the coffee was untouched by the two antagonists. They had seen the extensive amount of cinnamon he had poured into the steaming mugs and had shrewdly disposed of it when the blonde wasn't looking. What he didn't know couldn't hurt him.

"So Kyoya-san" She said, clasping the half empty coffee mug between her fingers, "Tamaki-senpai mentioned something about this being your beach-house." Tamaki at this, shot up from scrubbing the floor tiles and nodded a little too enthusiastically at his best friend. Kyoya sighing and ignoring the frivolous antics responded by once again scratching a few notes onto his (personal favourite) black leather-bound notebook. "Well you see Haruhi; my family own a private beach here in Okinawa and as my good friend it is Tamaki's great privilege to be able to rent this private villa..." He smirked. "And at a discount no less." He was perched upon the wooden chairs, his hands neatly folded and square on his knees. Not a hair out of place.

She looked upon his sharp jaw which held his many accents of prosper and vigilance and wondered how the two very disparate people before her were even aquatinted, let alone best friends. It was a very strange combination indeed. She absent-mindedly stuck her finger into the coffee cup and swirled it around, ignoring the burning pain it roused. A very strange combination...

It was only 10am when he left with other business to attend to. It didn't seem he had much time or patience for personal calls. He had picked up his briefcase, almost taken one last swig of coffee - before realising just in time and replacing it back onto the table – and had leisurely ambled out the door. The two were left wide-eyed at the sight of his wandering back. It was only 10am and already both Haruhi and Tamaki were exhausted.

"So my princess, what would you like to do next?"

---

They spent the rest of the day in restful peace. Haruhi had exclaimed tiresomely that she wished to be left alone, not unkindly, as she still suffered exhaustion from the previous days. Tamaki understood and had graciously carried her up to her designated room before departing her room, or even the house, for hours. She really didn't know. All she knew was that she was glad for the silence. She finally had the chance to think to herself. But... with a mind as blank as hers... what was there really to think about? Nothing about the situation made any sense to her. She was residing in a mansion being cared for by a mysterious but equally emotional narcissistic blonde idiot whose best friend was his complete opposite in every single way. Kyoya... now what was it about him that reminded her so much of the devil. That sadistic smirk almost permanently resided upon his face and it was there that held all the personality. The rest was completely unemotional. It was in that smirk that Haruhi could see a secret side to Kyoya; one that sent a cold chill through her entire body. He was a good man, she didn't doubt that but there was something about him that told her he always had a second agenda.

The light flickered in the hallway and Haruhi could hear the blondes pacing footstep outside her door. She sighed, he was waiting for her. He was sweet she supposed but he was also overly emotional, overly impulsive, overly irrational and one hell of a bad cook. All in all, it was a tiring combination for others around him and it was more the suggestion of his optimism than fatigue that sent her for an early-afternoon sleep. A few firmly dialled beeps drained her thoughts and she listened intently for the one-sided conversation.

"Kyoya? I need some advice..." She waited a few moments and then heard...

"Hey! Just hear me out ok. I think Haruhi is avoiding me, what do I do? Do you think she suspects anything?"

She gasped silently and leant forward to jam her ear against the wall. "Yeah, yeah I know I'm just" – "it to" – "her but I" – "lying to her Kyoya." He had begun walking down the hall and she missed a few words of what he had said but... she grimaced, she got the message alright.

He began walking towards the open door again. "Huh... what do you mean compromising positions?"

"WH-WHAT!!! THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM 'AFTER' KYOYA! HOW COULD YOU SUGGEST SUCH A THING!" He had halted just inside the gold gilded doors, snapped his phone shut and looked forward to stare right into Haruhi's glare.

"I-uh I"

"Let me guess" she declared almost sweetly while still holding her deadly gaze. "You can explain?"

---

**A/N:** Ahh... a cliff hanger! Sort-of... Anyway I think I'll bring the rest of the host club in next chapter and then maybe someone very mysterious... An OC. Anyway **R**&**R**!


	3. Plain and Preserved

The Angel Clad in White

**A****/N:** Well here it is; finally... I'm really sorry it's so late, I've just been so busy with work experience and exams. Plus have you ever had those annoying days where you just can't write. Yep I have a lot of those. Anyway read on...

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. It belongs to Bisco Hatori_

Chapter 3: Plain and Preserved

"_Let me guess" she declared almost sweetly while still holding her deadly gaze. "You can explain?"_

He mumbled incoherently to himself and clutched his mobile tightly to his chest. His head was a rush with all kinds of emotions. Anger... how dare Kyoya even suggest something of the sort; and now because of the smooth-talking devil, Haruhi was glaring at him. He felt shame gripping at his heart... it was after-all his carelessness that had roused the girl from her slumber. And last of all a terrible guilt. How much of the conversation had she heard? Enough to warrant any kind of explanation? He glanced again at her face and grimaced. It had seemed so.

She was impatient, almost to the point of crossing her arms and tapping her foot in a steady rhythm against the heavy floorboards. He had not at least given her the courtesy of an evil expression or a confident stance. That would have made it a lot easier to confirm her feelings on the matter. Instead he stood, gaze piercing the floor with his mobile thrust against his chest and his mop of blonde hair concealing his face and suppressing all emotion. How could she oppose someone without the will to fight? She frowned. He really was a handful.

The mop of hair shook and she observed he was beginning to come to his senses. She stiffened. Was he going to tell her? A cold chill ran through her spine and she was struck with the realisation of an unwelcome prospect; an unhappy truth perhaps? What if the truth she so desperately sought for was not one she wanted to remember? She thought of the blonde man Tamaki and how nice he had been to her. She peered at him again from underneath her unruly fringe and thought of the possibility of him hurting her. It couldn't be true... She couldn't imagine the _baka_ hurting a fly; quite literally. So how could he hurt her? No, she didn't want to be faced with it just yet and some part of her told her that though he seemed to hold all the cards, he was more oblivious than even _he_ was making out.

Yes he was hiding something, but he wasn't hiding everything...

"Ok." He finally said, quite calmly. He had lifted his gaze and stepped forward to take her hand. "I will tell you the truth." Her blood again ran cold. He didn't add the usual _princess_ to the end and his beatific smile was also absent. No... She didn't want to know. Not if this was the answer. She laughed nervously swinging her eyes across the room, trying to back out of it, trying to find some way to somehow rewind the situation. Her eyes scanned in the usual plumped up pillows adorning curved and beautifully crafted chairs, the chandelier hanging with crystal pendants enhancing its every surface. Unique and gorgeous objects no less, but nothing that would help in her undeniable quest.

He grasped her hand even tighter than before and suddenly it was clear there was no way she could stop him. She sank back down onto the bed trying to ignore his large safe hands around her clammy palms. Why was she so afraid of it all anyway? The truth was indeed the reality, and she would be faced with it sooner or later so why not now? She stared at the hands once again gripping hers and wished, for just a little longer, she could remain oblivious. Or could she...?

She felt the rug, as plain and preserved as she, beneath her and immediately clutched at it with intent to shove upon the startled blonde. "Ye-yeah" she managed to gasp. "You better explain this to me Tamaki." She found it hard to force the raw anger she felt into these words. She longer felt it, at least not at him. The moment he had gently taken her hand, all hostile thoughts had been washed out from her and she instead had a glowing radiance inside. She bit her lip as he watched his expression turned from shock, to confusion, then to relief, and then almost amusement as a smile tugged at his lips. Then he was confused again as he stared at the rug than had been so forcefully shoved into his grasp. "What?" He was still staring, often varying his gaze between her and the rug. She blushed utterly embarrassed and shook her head, wrapping herself in the chocolate silk hair that enveloped her.

"Oh, well I was just wondering what significance this rug is to me." He released it, placing it by her side. "I mean it obviously doesn't belong in this room does it." She forced a slight laugh. "So, if you know... please what is it exactly?" She felt the soft, worn cotton beneath her fingers and waited patiently for an answer. After-all it was one she wanted this time. Then he laboriously observed all parts of the extremely simple rug and pointed to a simple patch of embroidery near the hem.

"I believe it was your mothers..."

She looked to the point his finger touched the cloth and gasped. It read in fine simple lettering: 'K O T O K O' It was indeed. How it had come to belong with her now she had no idea. But... "How di-"

"Just a guess." He cut in, accompanying his interruption with an awkward smile. She graced her finger along the seams of black thread spelling out her mother's name. Of all she had lost she was sure her mother's memory too would return; but even without the memories she knew that the actual person was long gone. She couldn't explain it, she just knew. A feeling of regret washed over her as she stared out of the window into the sun. Even that night when she had lost all else her mother had somehow helped her through... Even though she could not remember the colour of her hair, or the clothes she would wear, or the songs she used to sing Haruhi to sleep at night; she could remember the gripping pain she had felt when her mother left.

"Of course..."

He leant forward to gently embrace her then swiftly turned on his heel to leave the room. He didn't get far...

"MILLLLORD!"

Both averted their gaze at the sound of the voice and there leaning against the door frame were two identical twins. Their hair was a soft red colour – almost orange – and it lay atop their head in soft spikes of delicately gelled tufts. Their faces were sharp and both held the same twisted smirk that seemed as if they were permanently laughing and the two sets of amber eyes were narrowed at the pair as if scrutinising their very soul. They leant against each-other for support with their elbows entwined and she noticed that the only physical difference between the two was the opposite parting in their hair and the clothes that they wore. One was donned in shades of blue and orange, consisting of an undershirt, tank-top and cropped trousers. The other wore similar attire but instead was dressed in shades of green and black.

Haruhi dropped back onto the bed with confusion and slight amusement at the pair... How did they even get into the house? She sighed, shook her head and then turned her complete attention towards Tamaki. He was almost dazed and he seemed to be staring past the two twins at the empty corridor behind them. They continued to smirk for a minute but then lost their animated expressions, quite obviously getting increasingly bored and just glared at the blonde before them.

"Millord?"

A beaming smile suddenly spread across his face and his ran towards the pair with his arms spread wide."Hikaru, Kaoru!" They avoided his grasp by parting and left him to crash into the doorframe. But he seemed unfazed. "How glad daddy is that you have come to visit us in times of despair!" They rolled their eyes at the comment and gave a snide smirk.

"You think we came here to see you?" They sneered simultaneously. "We just heard about your pretty little playmate and we thought she might need rescuing from a pervert like you." They both took hold of her arms and caressed her face lovingly.

"I am not a pervert!" She shivered in their embrace; they were just a little bit forward for people she had just met.

"Don't believe them Haruhi..." Tamaki was now a crumpled heap on the floor and murmuring to himself. "Our family... broken up... I'm sorry Hikaru..." She strained her ears surprised that such ridiculous comments could be muttered with such serious intent but the flame-haired twins shared a shocked glance and pranced back over to where the broken blonde lay. "Ah senpai..." One of them spoke breaking from their simultaneous bond. "You know we were only joking." The other added; he had a slightly smoother voice than the other and kept glancing nervously back at Haruhi. Then they both leapt on the poor wallowing boy returning his initial embrace.

"So sorry Tono." They cried while wrapping skinny arms around him comically. Then one of them continued. "We didn't mean to upset you. I don't what I would do if you ever..." Then his arms slid off Tamaki and instead wove around his brother. "Kaoru..." The two then almost wept in each other's arms and Tamaki, long forgotten to the pair, edged his way back over to the bed where Haruhi sat. "Oh Hikaru!" Their hold tightened on each other and she just frowned at the display. Never before had she seen such a hysteric reaction to such a meaningless event. Then she glanced side-ways at the similarly perplexed blonde. Well...

Seconds later the twins had finished their antics and strolled calmly over to the bed. Their smiles were sanguine and they looked utterly undisturbed; quite the reverse of their previous distress. They both stuck out a hand to the brunette and cheekily grinned. "Hey we are-"

"Hikaru and Kaoru" She awkwardly shook both of the hands and smiled. "Yeah I got it." They stood, shaken for a second and blankly stared at her. The silence was tense; but only for a second. Moments later they had draped their arm around her again.

"Have you ever heard of Hitachiin industries Haruhi?" They chorused and then glanced down at her attire. "No of course you haven't. It is the most recognised fashion brand in Japan!" Tamaki eagerly nodded along to this. "And we are destined to take over the business when we come of age." They rushed out into the corridor and brought back an overstuffed suitcase. "And of course we have the perfect dress picked out for you to wear Haruhi!" They had now retrieved the garment and waved it in front of her face.

The light, airy fabric tickled her nose and she shoved it away in aggravation. "I don't need your clothes." She stomped away from the brother and moved into the corridor. She observed the narrow, winding space; she had no idea where to go from here. Her dramatic exit was now feeling a little feeble.

Suddenly a huge figure appeared before her. It was cast in shadows so she struggled to see its stoic face, it was at least double the height of her and she gulped as she stepped backwards. A childish giggle came from the upper part of the figure. _The upper part?_ And it stepped forward to reveal a child on top a man's shoulders. _Oh... _The child was cute and blonde with wide hazel orbs glistening as he stared down at her. "HARU-CHAN!" She noted the man was expressionless and quite the opposite in appearance. He had spiky black hair with a narrow jaw and similarly narrow eyes. His lips were pursed so thin you could barely see them. But yet he managed to smile... slightly.

"..."

"Honey-senpai! Mori-senpai!"

She twirled around and saw that Tamaki and the twins had stuck their heads around the door and were now grinning goofily at the two rather strange characters. _Wait... senpai?_ She looked up at the small blonde again. How was it possible he was anything more than a child?

The dark-haired man gently reached up to grab his petite friend and released him down on the floor. "Mitsukuni." Then the blonde bounced over to grab Haruhi's hand as he smiled brightly. "Hi Haru-chan! I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka. But you can call me Honey!" Then he turned to point at the stoic figure behind him. "And that's Takashi Morinozuka."

The taller man replied, "Mori."

Haruhi pouted discrepantly. She was still thoroughly confused. She assumed all of the men were friends of Tamaki. But it seemed they were all completely different people. Along with Kyoya, they formed the most disparate group Haruhi had ever seen.

They were friendly enough. Dinner had been shared between the six of them, but not thoroughly consumed. It was after-all Tamaki' cooking. Amidst the general chatter, Haruhi had learned the 'child' Honey, who was in fact two years older than her, was a karate champion; that Mori really didn't say much and the twins favourite pastime was to tease Tamaki unmercifully. And this was done usually involving her to some extent.

It was strange sometimes; the group would curiously eye her up and down when they thought she wasn't looking in a thoughtful manner. They would gaze at her with amused smiles when she would frown and pick at the 'food' on her plate. They treated her as an old friend yet she had only seen their faces for the first time this afternoon... Hadn't she?

They left some time around 7pm and each had parted with a hug from Haruhi. One of the twins had held onto to her a little longer than necessary.

The house seemed unusually quiet now. It was as if without the noise and laughter the shadows would become visible and haunt the very corners of the rooms. She hadn't noticed the night before but... the house was a lot creepier in the dark. Tamaki glanced over from his chair and noticed her uncomfortable expression. He placed a hand upon hers. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

That actually sounded like a good idea. She tried to move off the stool but she winced as her leg ached in pain. "I might need a little help."

The blonde just grinned and retrieved a pair of crutches from the cupboard nearby. "Kyoya dropped them off when he was here earlier. Want me to help you with them." He stepped closer to her and the tips of his golden hair barely brushed her tender skin.

She blushed slightly and hurriedly grasped them from his hands. "No! I can figure it out. Thanks."

It had only taken them 10 minutes to reach the point where the sun would kiss the sea. They had to move quickly, as with every step she took, the crutches would slowly sink into the sand. She had stumbled a few times but Tamaki swiftly captured her in one smooth movement. "It's beautiful isn't it."

Haruhi raised her gaze to the violet streams of cloud across the azure sky. The shades turned to light pink far into the distance and the lowest point of the sky beamed with tones of yellow. It really was beautiful. She lifted her head to the blonde and smiled.

They both stood in silence just admiring the natural wonders of the sandy beach before them. "Yes it is."

Suddenly there was a yell and a scream and a pair of arms reached from behind and grabbed her hand. She was twirled around and met another figure with force. He now cupped her face and examined her confused expression with a concerned look. He stared at her with open eyes of Prussian blue and wisps of dark sandy blonde hair flapped against his tan skin. It was almost shoulder length, his hair and it curled a little at the ends. He resembled Tamaki, but in a slightly darker way. He took a deep breath and pushed her face against his chest as he leant to embrace her. Blushing she noticed that his chest was indeed bare and his only attire consisted of an unbuttoned shirt in a deep blue, matching his eyes, and cropped trousers in white. His arms had wrapped around her petite frame, and one now rested on top of her head, stroking her silky hair. "I heard about the amnesia..." He released her and Tamaki gently pulled her back to him, and examined the sandy-haired boy who spoke.

"I was so worried, is she ok?" He directed the question towards Tamaki rather than the brunette it concerned, but the blonde could only stare in reply.

Slightly agitated, she answered for herself. "I'm fine." And then adjusted her crumpled clothes.

He seemed embarrassed now, the sandy-haired boy, and stood away from the pair tracing his sandaled foot along the grains of sand. Tamaki stepped forward and left Haruhi's side to lock the boys gaze in his. He looked unusually serious and sombre.

"Why did you run away?" The boy's head snapped around.

"And why did you come back?"

---

**A/N:** Yeah... There are a lot of parts of this chapter including the ending I'm not amazingly pleased with, but I couldn't fix it. So I hope it will suffice. So the sandy-haired boy is the same one as in the first chapter and you find out who he is next chapter. He is a possible love interest for Haruhi, as is Hikaru. So the pairing isn't like set in stone yet or anything. You'll just have to see what happens. ^^ Please review, I love reviews. I haven't got that many yet, but thanks a lot to the people who have reviewed, it really makes my day. :)


	4. Kunami

The Angel Clad in White

**A/N:** Ok first I have to apologise!! I really am sorry it has taken me this long and I would use the usual excuses of Exams, work experience and holidays (all true) but mainly its because I was really stuck with the last little bit of this chapter and I'm still not really happy with it :/  
But hopefully it'll be ok :) And I really would love some more reviews guys, but thank-you so much to everyone who has!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. It belongs to Bisco Hatori_

Chapter 4: Kunami

"_Why did you run away? And why did you come back?"_

The silence rested upon the heavy fall of the night, and once howling moons seemed to stiffen before the sombre crowd. Nothing was said but all eyes – or at least the two pairs – were firmly set towards the sandy-haired boy; awaiting his response. A certain guarantee was not that of a quick and decisive answer. No, for the boy's eyes glazed over and he unwittingly, once again with his feet, traced a path in the flaxen grains of sand. His head was bowed down in such a manner which under different circumstances might have signified respect for the pair. But here it was derived as being pure definitive sycophancy.

"I'm indeed sorry," he pleaded "But oh, I feel my actions could not express my deepest desire to explain all questions that might arise." He sincerely placed a hand upon Tamaki's shoulder and bowed his head yet again. It was beginning to feel a little bit more like respect.

Tamaki's blank stare to his response only evoked yet another stream of incoherent babblings from the boy. "Might there be a time dear cousin, when I can truly earn your forgiveness; she was after-all in my care. I failed you..." According to the expression on his 'cousins' face his actions were considerably strange from the usual. The boy had now grasped part of Tamaki's shirt and reverted back to his sycophantic status.

"Kunami..." The blonde finally gasped, "I didn't mean to... to make you feel any guilt." The sentence seem hard for the blonde to form but then the two then embraced leaving one certain brunette extremely out of the loop. She glanced at the two, noticing even their differing similarities. With his darker hair, skin slightly more tanned and eyes the shade of the blackened violet sky; it seemed that he was the very shadow of Tamaki. And as they embraced it seemed even more so. Together they created a poetic melody that made sense only to them and bewildered others around them. It was like they had not encountered one another's presence in years, but as Tamaki would explain only moments later; it had been only mere days.

When they released each-other they saw Haruhi completely baffled look adorning her features. Both of their gazes softened. Though oblivious; it was her who held the key vital to both or their destinies. She hesitated and the words she had hurriedly planned and calculated died in her puckered mouth. Instead instinct took over and she found herself reaching for the hem of Tamaki's shirt; much like a girl of half her years. His form which had never seemed rugged or manly before now displayed these as protective traits, though in his eyes; she doubted her need for a savoir.

"Tamaki-senpai?" she said and tugged again at his shirt. He saw it was a small but not entirely helpless attempt to encourage his explanation. He obliged willingly but did not stoop to meet her level as he could imagine her indignation at the very thought. He instead just gazed back at her levelly, ignoring the difference of height between them. "Kunami is my much revered cousin." That's all she needed to know for now, and it seemed that was all he was going to tell her.

The two boys were chatting happily now and their spindly arms were wrapped around one another in a casual fashion as they began strolling back towards the beach-house. Haruhi released a silent sigh and reluctantly followed, hobbling along on her crutches. "So Kunami, do you have anywhere to stay tonight?"

As it turned out, he didn't and Tamaki then offered up a spare room in the beach-house itself; _one more couldn't hurt! _She had missed out on much of the conversation, having been lost in her own thoughts; but it appeared that Kunami was residing in the room adjacent to hers. She still didn't know exactly where Tamaki slept, and this small fact secretly intrigued her.

It was only 7:30 when the trio stepped into the fresh wave of heat that the surrounding walls embodied and Haruhi felt rather embarrassed of the extraordinarily early time and obvious exhaustion she felt. It had been a long day after-all, taking into account the separate arrivals of Kyoya, the rest of Tamaki's friends and Kunami. But instead of retiring to the heavily furnished room early, as she had previously, she carefully eased herself down on the couch. Tamaki followed suite and Kunami travelled to the kitchen only to return with a six-pack of beer that had somehow appeared in the fridge – Tamaki's little shopping trip she supposed.

Kunami unhooked a can and set the rest down on the table as he skilfully popped it open. His eyes seemed to twinkle as he tipped the malty concoction down his throat in glee. "Oh how did you know dear cousin?" he exclaimed between sips; and Tamaki smiled.

"I had a feeling you would be back. Why else buy such a vile substance?" Kunami shook his beer towards his cousin, proceeding to spill a bit in the process and sent him a mock glare.

"You know you love it, my dear cousin. I would simply not be associated with you if you did not."

Seeming to have no immediate come-back the blonde rose from his place next to Haruhi and grasped a can for himself. "At least I can keep myself under control Kunami."

"Do you propose a challenge dear cousin? I accept of course, knowing the glory of my victory is all too soon." Their faces were inches apart and the mock anger had grown more realistic.

"Do I need remind you of the time you asked my father for his hand in marriage; I implore you not to admit soberness in that situation!"

"Oh yeah? What about the time you did the funky chicken dance, on the kitchen table, during the Christmas party?"

"I WAS FIVE! I was not under the influence of such a substance therefore it doesn't count!"

"I still wouldn't be proud of it though..."

As the verbal war waged on above her, Haruhi just observed the two silently. Their manner of speech seemed to change when around each-other. They seemed more refined and elegant, even in argument; as if to out-do each-other. She did not really understand it herself, she was not even sure what the proposed 'challenge' was about. Agitated she shuffled to the other end of the couch to grab herself a beer. Although she didn't know the exact number of years she had lived, it was obvious to her that she was old enough. Her body displayed curves, small though they were, only possible of someone in their late teens, 17-18 perhaps. She had managed to grab a can and pop it open before the blonde even turned his head but as she tilted her head backwards, awaiting a sip; Tamaki suddenly knocked it out of her grasp.

"NO!"

She stared down at the mess on the floor and then back up to him. "Why not? I'm old enough!" she cried and then gestured to his beer and spluttered, "and you seem to think it's ok!"

He cocked his head to the side in surprise, maybe she was acting a little out of character for herself but, then again, how would he know? "Your injury!" He whined, a subtle blush gracing his face. She looked down at her plastered leg sourly and then to the spreading pool of fizzing liquid on the floor.

"What about it....?" she questioned, yet again sourly, still glaring at the ground.

"It's just..." he said, his blush growing more evident. "It's just that a-"

"a proper young lady should not drink until she's married!"

"Yeah!" It took Tamaki a while to figure that Kunami had finished his sentence for him but when he did, his sandy-haired cousin was already doubled up on the floor. "Hah-what?" He stalked towards him and dragged him over to the couch. He seemed to have taken over the persona of a mature responsible adult; and it couldn't be farther from his normal self. "Kunami, what is the matter with you?"

Kunami was now spread out across the couch and had stuffed the corner of an aqua cushion into his mouth to try and muffle his laughter. But the only purpose it served was to produce the sound of the tasselled beads clacking against his teeth whenever he tried to speak. "mahwwwa" "tssssffaa" "kaaassfff!" He buried his head into the cushion, having burst into giggles at Tamaki's expression

"You, my dear cousin, are completely wasted." He pretended to glance at his watch, but in all seriousness. "That has to be some kind of record. Only five minutes." Then he smiled. Kunami sent him another mock glare and spat the cushion out.

"I have not lost Tamaki, don't celebrate your victory just yet. It's just you say the same thing over and over. Loosen up Tamaki, you are so over-protective."

"But it's true!" he protested, "a proper young lady like herself should not intoxicate her body with such a substance!"

She spoke up, forcing the two to lapse into silence, "Then what do proper young men do?" She didn't wait for their response before gathering her crutches and sauntering- or indeed hobbling - out the room with a smirk on her face. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

The two cousins watched her, glanced at each-other and silently took another sip of their beer.

"You know she has a point."

"Shut-up Kunami..."

---

She had been in bed only 20 minutes when a figure came stumbling into her room. The identity was hidden as the cloak of shadows surrounded him quite easily, but she quite accurately guessed it was one of the drinking pair when he tripped over a chair and swore. She sat up and called out to the figure. "Tamaki-senpai? Kunami?" She didn't get an answer but seconds later the shadow erupted into giggles and she tiredly called out again. "Kunami, what are you doing here?"

He drew closer to the bed, so close in fact that she could smell the cheap alcohol on his breath, and climbed up beside her. "You should be careful Haruhi." His hand flapped around in the air and then settled on her arm. "This vile substance will in-intoxicate you!" The door creaked slightly and the small ray of light bursting through clearly displayed a blonde head of hair. Kunami hiccupped and she turned her attention to the door once more.

"I'm guessing you lost, because Tamaki-senpai put you up to this. She heard a small squeal and the ray of light disappeared again. Kunami brandished a mocking fist towards her and giggled.

"I NEVER lose! It is simply an illusion Haruhi. My dear cousin is eating right out of my hands, it is all going according to plan!" he gave her a slightly twisted smile.

She suddenly felt uncomfortable and hugged her pillow closer to her chest. What are you talking about Kunami... I'm pretty sure you lost." And to answer this he merely laughed again and left the room. She shivered. He suddenly seemed more sober than he had the entire day. There was something off about Kunami... she couldn't entirely place it. All she knew was that all three of them were keeping secrets in the house that night...

---

**A/N: **So there you go! If anyone was confused at all hmmm... I will try and explain. Well of couse you supposed to be confused for quite a bit of it so i can't explain everything, that would mean giving away the plot ;) But if you were unsure what the ''challenge' was, it was who could stay sober the longest. And yes, Kunami is a bit of an alcaholic :) R&R!


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